Railroad-signal



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G. W. KELLER. RAILROAD SIGNAL.

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G. W. KELLER. RAILROAD SIGNAL.

Patented 1360.15, 1896.

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No. 573,414. Patented Dec. 15, 1896 mags Geore Wfiller rm: "cams PETERScu, moTo-uruov, wAsnmumu, o c,

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G. WJKBLLER RAILROAD SIGNAL,

No. 573,414. Patented Dec. 15, '1896.

UNITED STATES GEORGE \V. KELLER, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

SHENANDOAH, VIRGINIA.

RAl LROAD-SIG NA L.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 573,414, dated December15, 1896.

Application filed June 2,1896.

1'0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. KELLER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Shenandoah, in the county of Page and State of Virginia,have invented a new and useful Railroad-Signal, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to railroad signals, and particularly to a deviceadapted to be arranged in cuts and tunnels and contiguous to embankmentsand mountain sides for indicating the existence of land-slides,washouts, and the like; and the object in view is to simplify andimprove the construction of devices of this class, whereby the leastobstruction of thetrack or the removal of earth from beneath the ties,even though the ties and superposed rails retain their normal positionsby reason of being supported by the cont-iguous portions of the rails,is indicated by the signal to p warn the engineers of approachingtrains.

Further objects and advantages of this in vention will appear in thefollowing descrip tion, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a signal apparatusconstructed in accordance with my invention, the parts being arrangedfor use in a cut in which it is necessary to protect both sides of thetrack. Fig.

2 is a plan view of one end of the apparatus to show the means forcommunicating motion from the trips to the stem of the signal-arm.

detail view of a portion of the draw-rod.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The apparatus embodying my invention Fig. 7 is a deas No. 593,994. (Nomodel.)

1 consists, essentially, of a movable signaling device adapted by itsposition to indicate' safety or danger and a flexible guard arrangedcontiguous to and parallel with the track to be protected andoperatively connected with said signaling device, whereby when the guardis encountered by an object it will be strained sufficientlyto move thesignalin g device to a position indicating danger.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings the apparatus isdesigned for the protection of both sides of a track, as when used in acut or when both sides of the track are exposed to land-slides orobstructions rolling upon the track; but as the device may frequently beused where it is necessary to protect only one side I will firstdescribe the means employed under those conditions.

The signal-posts 1 are disposed at the ends of thedangerous'section orlocality, and preferably at such distances from the protected point asto allow time for an approaching train to be brought to a standstill,and the signal employed may differ in construction, as preferred. In theconstruction illustrated an ordinary pivotal arm 2 is mounted upon thesignal-post and is adapted to be held in the folded or pendent positionindicated in full lines in Fig. 1 or the extended or horizontal positionindicated in dotted lines in the same figure. Said pivotal arm isextended in rear of its pivotal point, as shown at 3, and. is providedwith an opening fitted with a colored medium 4:, which, in connectionwith a lantern 5, constitutes a night signal. When the arm occupies itsfolded position, the white light of the lantern is exposed, whereas whenthe arm is extended the colored medium is brought in front of thelantern, and this displays a danger-signal. The signaling device isnormally held in its folded or safety position by means of avertically-disposed weighted stem 6, fitted near its lower end in astationary guide 7 and provided at its lower end with a shoulder S,engaged by a supportingarm 9. This supporting-arm is carried by arock-shaft 10, provided with an operatingarm 11, with which is connecteda draw rod 12, and said draw-rod is provided with an actuating-spring13, arranged between a stationary bracket 1a andan adjustable collar ortension device 15, which is threaded upon the rod. This springisdesigned to yieldingly resist movement of the rod in the directionnecessary to disengage the supporting-arm from the shoulder of the stem.The operating-arm, by which motion is communicated from the draw-rod tothe rock-shaft, is preferably longitudinally slotted, as shown at 16, toreceive the rod, and acushion-spring 17 is interposed between said armand an ad justable collar 18 to hold the arm in contact with a secondadj ustable collar 1 9,and by adjusting said collars the tension of thecushion-spring and the position of the operating-arm with relation tothe draw-rod may be adjusted to secure an accurate cooperation of theparts.

The draw-rod is provided with a notched head 20, in engagement withwhich is arranged a hook 21 on the trip 22, said trip being permanentlyconnected to the extremities of the wires or cables 23, constituting thecontiguous in flexible guard. The trip is provided with a dependingextension 24, which is stepped at its lower extremity in a seat 25,formed on the bracket in which the headed extremity of the draw-headoperates, and the hook 21 of the trip fits in a cavity 26 in saidbracket to engage the notched head of the draw-rod, whereby lateraldisplacement of the trip is prevented. The depending extension or shankof the trip is normally arranged in an inclined position, whereby whenthe wires or cables comprising the guard are strained sufficient motionwill be communicated to the draw-rod to release the signaling device,but further strain, in excess of that necessary forreleasing thesignaling device, will cause the hook of the trip to be elevated out ofengagement with the notch of the drawrod, and therefore the guard willbe free to yield and prevent breakage. Hence when the guard hasaccomplished its function of disengaging the signaling device it may beentirely covered by the land-slide without injury, and hence may beimmediately returned to its operative position after the obstructionshave been removed from the track. Furthermore, it will be seen that themovement of the trip which is necessary to release the signaling devicedraws the hooked extremity of the trip out of the cavity in the bracket,and hence provides for the disen-- gagement of the hook from the head ofthe draw-rod by lateral movement.

The guard, as above indicated, consists of a plurality of flexible wiresor cables extendin g through guiding devices, such as eyes27 on posts28, in a series parallel with the railroad-track to be protected, saidwires or cables thus being arranged in the path of boulders or otherobstructions approaching the track from that side upon which the guardis arranged, and in order to prevent deflection of the members of theguard without straining them sufficiently to disengage thesupporting-arm from the stem of the signaling device I employ verticalcross wires or stays 29, arranged at intervals and connected to thewires or cables at their points of intersection therewith.

When it is desired, as in a cut or tunnel, to protect both sides of atrack from falling objects, the guard is duplicated and is connectedwith an auxiliary trip 30 for engagement with the notched head of aspring-actuated draw-rod 51, which is connected with the rock-shaft 32by means of a slotted arm 33. Said rock-shaft is provided with anadditional slotted arm 3st, connected by means of a rod 35 with acorresponding arm 36 upon the rock-shaft 10, said rod extendingtransversely across the track beneath the plane of the rails andpreferably between contiguous ties.

In addition to the above-described mechanism, which is designed toindicate the existence of a land-slide or of boulders or otherobstructions which have been dislodged and have fallen upon the track, Iemploy means for indicating the existence of washouts, the particularadvantage of this portion of the apparatus residing in the fact that awashout under or contiguous to a track is indicated even when the trackretains its proper position by reason of the washout extending only ashort distance and the portion of the track from which the support hasbeen removed bein g upheld by the contiguous portions of the track. Themeans which I have found efficient for this purpose consist of weights37, connected by flexible wires or cables 38 with the guards andarranged upon the surface of the soil contiguous to the ties. Hence whenthe soil is washed from beneath the ties the weights are allowed tosettle, and in so doing strain the guard and release the signalingdevice.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1, In arailroad-signal,the combination with a signaling device, of a flexibleguard arranged contiguous to the track to be protected, weightsconnected with the guard and normally supported by the soil contiguousto the tracks, whereby in case of a washout the weights are allowed tosettle and increase the tension of the guard, and connections betweenthe guard and signaling device, substantially as specified.

2. In a railroad-signal,the combination with a signaling device, of aflexible guard arranged contiguous to the track to be protected, adraw-rod operatively connected with the signalin g device, anddetachable connections between the guard and the draw-rod, substantiallyas specified.

3. In arailroad-signal, the combination with a signaling device,of aflexible guard arranged contiguous to the track to be protected, a

ICC

draw-rod operatively connected with the signaling device and providedwith a notched head, and a trip connectedwith the extremity of the guardand normally engaged with the notched head of the draw-rod, said triphaving a depending extension or shank engaged with a fixed seat andnormally occupying an inclined position, whereby when the guard isstrained the trip is elevated out of engagement with the head of thedraw-rod, substantially as specified.

4. In a railroad-signal,the combination with a signaling device adaptedwhen released to be moved to its operative position, of a rockshafthaving a supporting-arm to normally hold the signaling device in itsinoperative position, a spring-actuated draw-rod loosely connected atone end with an operating-arm on said rock-shaft, a trip normallyengaged with a notch in the draw-rod, and a flexible guard connected tothe trip, substantially as specified.

5. In a railroad-signal, the combination with a signaling device, ofarock-shaft operatively connected with the signaling device and having aslotted operating-arm, a draw-rod extending through the slot of theoperating-arm and having an adjustable collar to bear against one sidethereof, a cushion-sprin g engaging the opposite side of saidoperating-arm, adjusting devices for the cushion-spring, anactuating-spring for the draw-rod, and a flexible guard connected with atrip in engagement with said d raw-rod, substantially as specified.

G. In a rail road-signal, the combination with a signaling device, of adraw-rod operatively connected with the signaling device and having anotched head, a guide-bracket for the draw-rod provided with a cavity inwhich the head of said rod is fitted, a trip having a hook in engagementwith a notch in said head of the draw-rod and normally held inengagement therewith by the sides of the cavity, and a flexible guardconnected with the trip and adapted when strained to draw the hook ofthe trip beyond the walls of the cavity to allow lateral disengagementof the trip from the draw-rod, substantially as specified.

7. In a railroad-si gnal, the combination with a signaling device, ofrock-shafts mounted upon opposite sides of a track to be protected, oneof said rock-shafts being operatively connected with the signalingdevice, a transverse connecting-rod between said rock-shafts,spring-actuated draw-rods connected, respectively, to the rock-shafts,and flexible guards arranged respectively upon opposite sides of thetrack and connected with thedraw-rods, whereby the signaling device maybe operated by an obstruction approaching the track from either side,substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE IV. KELLER. Witnesses:

II. F. STALEY, E. E. LONG.

